Constitutive and variable patterns of genome-wide DNA methylation in populations from spatial-environmental range extremes of the bumble bee Bombus vosnesenskii

This project presents the first comprehensive analysis of CpG methylation in B. vosnesenskii, a widely distributed North American bumble bee species. We use very high-coverage whole-genome bisulfite sequencing WGBS) data from wild-caught specimens at the species' range extremes to (i) characterize the major trends in constitutive genome-wide methylation patterns and their potential functional roles, (ii) compare and contrast the epigenetic profiles from populations representing spatial and environmental range extremes (a warm southern low-elevation site and a cold northern high-elevation site) to assess intraspecific methylome variability and the putative roles of differentially methylated CpGs, and (iii) investigate the potential relationship between population genetic diversity and genome-wide CpG methylation. Overall, our findings highlight the factors that may shape CpG methylation patterns in bumble bees and provide foundational data for further investigations into epigenetic mechanisms involved in environmental adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in this ecologically and commercially important native pollinator species.